Alstom India to double metro train plant capacity at Sri City in AP

Chennai, Dec 6 : In a bid to meet Montreal Metro and Mumbai Metro orders for trains, Alstom India will be doubling its capacity at its plant in Sri City in Andhra Pradesh, near here, said a top company official on Thursday.

Alain Spohr, Managing Director for India and South Asia, Alstom, told reporters that the company has bagged orders for 10 more metro trains from Chennai Metro, and is looking at sourcing stainless steel from domestic suppliers.

“We will be doubling our capacity by setting up a new line that could manufacture 22 cars per month. We are also studying the feasibility for rolling out trains made of aluminium.”

He was here to flag off the last of the 22 trains for Sydney Metro.

According to Spohr, the Montreal Metro and Mumbai Metro orders will be executed from 2019 onwards. Both the orders involved supplying about 500 cars.

Currently, the plant has a capacity to make about 240 cars per annum.

Spohr said the company is looking at the feasibility of making aluminium trains for the Indian market as there is sufficient capacities for the group in other parts of the world.

He said two more trains will be supplied for Kochi Metro from December 2018 onwards.

On the local content in trains, he said nearly 70 per cent is localised and efforts are on to increase the same.